Steam-engine.



Patented 1an. I6, |900.

vNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH HARRIS, OFBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 641,643, dated January16, 1900.

' Application filed October 9, 1899. Serial No. 733,030. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH HARRIS, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Engines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object ofmyinvention is to produce a single-cylinder steam-enginewithout a deadcenter; and the invention consists of a lever and what Iterm an auxiliary connectingrod, so arranged that when the crank and therod connecting the cross-head and the crank are in a straight line theauxiliary connectingrod will operate the crank, as hereinafter setforth, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side View of anengine embodying my invention, showing the position of the crank andconnections when the piston is at one end of its stroke. Fig. 2 is asimilar view when the piston is at the other end of its stroke. Fig. 3is a plan view of same.

A represents a bed to which is secured a cylinder B and a standard orstandards C, in which is mounted a shaft D, upon one end of which issecured a fly-wheel E and on the other end a crank F.

Gis the cross-head, H the piston-rod, and J the connecting-rod. Insteadof the ordinary connecting-rod this rod J is formed, at its outer end,with a slot j, through which the wrist-pin 7c passes, and it is alsoformed with a central slot j.

K is a lever fulcrumed to the bed, the upper end of said lever passingthrough the slot j' in the connecting-rod J, and L is an auxiliaryconnecting-rod having at one end a slot t, through which the lever Kalso passes and is held in place by pins o n, passing through said leverK. The other end of the auxiliary connecting-rod L is formed with a holethrough which the wrist-pin k passes.

In operation, when the piston is back, so as to canse the crank toassume the position shown in Fig. 1, in which the crank would be on adead-center, then the crank will be operated by the action of the leverK on the auxiliary rod L, thus altering the pressure from a straight toan angular position, the lever K, bearing upon the rod L, transmittingmotion to the crank in an angular direction, thus avoiding adead-center. This motion is attained by means of the slot j in theconnecting-rod J, by which said rod is free to slide upon the wrist-pin7c. After the crank has been carried up for a short distance the end ofthe slot j will come into contact with the wrist-pin k and carry it overuntil the piston has made its full stroke, when it will be in theposition shown in Fig. 2, when the backward movement of the piston willcause the lever K to be again operated upon, so that the auxiliary rod Lwill operate the crank, as before described.

It will be seen that by the above construcvtion the crank F is for aportion of its travel operated directly by the connecting-rod J, and atwhat would otherwise be the dead-centers of the crank F said crank isoperated by the auxiliary rod L, to which motion isimparted by the leverK, the connecting-rod F being free to slide on the wrist-pinKby means ofthe slot l. In a steam-en gine, a connecting-rod having a slot and awrist-pin passing through same, in combination with a lever and anauxiliary connecting-rod; substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

l2. In a single-cylinder engine a device for preventing dead-centers,consisting of a connecting-rod having a slot, a wrist-pin passingthrough same, an auxiliary connecting-rod, fulcrumed on said wrist-pin,and a lever passing through slots in both the connecting-rods, wherebythe motion is transmitted to crank by the auxiliary connecting-rod, whenthe crank is on the dead-centers, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

JOSEPH HARRIS.

Witnesses OHAs. STEERE, EDWIN PLANTA.

